Ex Solem Ex Umbra
by xFlavourChan
Summary: [REWRITTEN] "Everything... has to come from somewhere, right?" Join Pit and his dark counterpart on an adventure that will take them into a past they never knew existed, the past that they come from.
1. LIGHT vs DARK

**Ex Solem|Ex Umbra**

_**A Kid Icarus Fan Fiction by JoFaythe/xFlavourChan**_

**Chapter 1: LIGHT vs. DARK**

_Light vs. Dark is a game of the gods where two teams of three fighters face off against one another, battling to defeat three opponents as a team, forcing the last one to be defeated to be taken out of the game and replaced by the team leader. After the team leaders are out on the field, the focus shifts to taking out the leader to win the match. The fighter (or, on some rare occasions, the leader) who takes out the opposing team's leader, as an act of no ill-will, will help the loser back to his feet, reminding everyone that it is simply a game. Once a year, a championship is held against every god and goddess, allowing each to show off their strongest warriors and leaders in an attempt to gain bragging rights for the next year or so._

* * *

"Okay team, listen up!" Pit announced, gaining the attention of his preparing three person team, donning the white-silver armour that identified them as the light team for the match. "Today is a very important day, so fight your best! But, win or lose, I'm proud to say that you guys are my team."

The only female warrior, a flaming redhead by the name of Quinn, raised an eyebrow at her team captain. "'Win or lose', captain? Are you implying that, for the first time in years, that we could lose the championship?"

"I'm not implying anything!" the angel shot back.

"Yes, you are. In the ten minus four years that I've been fighting for this team, you've never said anything along the lines of 'win or lose'." She smirked. "Has your confidence disappeared, oh mighty captain?"

"Of course not!" the angel recoiled as his face turned a deep shade of red. "I'm just being a good leader, that's all!"

"Sure you are…" sarcasm filled the voice of an older teen named Scott that Pit swore was double his own height.

"We're facing off against your brother today," the youngest, a dark skinned boy no older than twelve, interjected, "That dark angel on Viridi's team. He is your brother, right?"

"Pittoo…" Pit placed his chin on his fist and his voice trailed off, lost in the thought of his dark counterpart. In technical terms, Pittoo, originally 'Dark Pit', was simply a reflection of him created by the Mirror of Truth. But, after his three years of being a ring, fighting beside the dark angel to save Lady Palutena, and the several occasions that they saved each other, he wasn't so sure that Pittoo was just a reflection of whatever dark feelings might have been hiding in his soul. "Yeah, I guess you could call him my brother."

"I see," the youngster smiled, with an unusual twinkle in his dark chocolate eyes. No one had time to contemplate Maxxy's intentions as the five minute warning bell was sounded, beginning the countdown to the match.

* * *

The dark team's locker room was filled with chattering and excitement, something that rarely happened for the members of that particular team.

"Championship title, here we come!" the energetic brunette known as Zack exclaimed, already decked out in the dark gray/black armour and showing off his unusual weapon of choice, a Bowl Arm.

"Yeah, what a change," the star player, an Asian teen by the name of Ryu interjected as he polished his helmet, "With that lady as our leader, we got our butts handed to us in ten seconds flat."

The third fighter, a sharpshooting blond named Cass, shrugged his shoulders. "Who knew having wings made such a difference? No wonder the Goddess Palutena always wins; she has entire legions of angels on her side."

The other fighters nodded in agreement and added to the conversation about previous wins and losses, how the light team would be going down, and how their new leader was far superior to the lady they had been stuck with for many years prior.

The new leader, a dark angel once referred to as 'Dark Pit', sat away from the rest of his team, preferring to do maintenance on his favourite weapon than join in on the conversation. The blue bow with a silver edge, appropriately named the Silver Bow, was the weapon he had used since his birth from the Mirror of Truth. He twisted the bow at its center, effectively turning the weapon into two smaller blades.

_It's been a while, Pit-stain._

He sighed as he put the blades back together and twisted it around his fingers.

_I don't know how you do it, working for the goddess. Viridi is a pain the butt, but as long as I can't fly by myself, I have to listen to her. It's working out nicely, though, `cause I get to fight you again._

Content with the condition his bow was in, he rested it on his lap.

_Get ready, I'm gonna wipe the floor with you today._

* * *

The battleground was an eerie location, fittingly known as the Rail Temple, filled with fog, tall ruins and a floating island in the center. Before the stone walls surrounding the edges of the arena were pairs of rails, making it easy to use hit-and-run strategies, travel from one area to the next, and battle along the rails. A single grind rail lead to the center island, an area where one could possibly recover, but the open view of the island easily revealed those who were. The rest of the area was plain and leveled, with few places to hide.

The crowd watching from above the stone walls cheered as the two teams entered the arena on opposite ends. A few fighters acknowledged the crowd, waving back as a thank you for their support before taking a battle stance. A timer hovered over the center island, counting down the final thirty seconds before the game's start. From the locker rooms the two angels watched the battle from reflection pools, Pittoo clutching his silver bow in his hands, and Pit holding on to his first blade.

As soon as the timer read '0' the light team launched its first attack, a Mega Laser launched by Quinn aimed directly at the opposing dark team. No one was hurt as the two teams began to charge at each other, with attacks littering the stage.

Ryu of the dark team, armed with a black club, made his way to the edge of the arena where the grind rails were situated, returning fire at Maxxy, the user of a Twinbellows cannon, as Ryu started to take advantage of the rails to quickly circle around to the opposite side of the arena.

On the ground, the light team's fiercest fighter, Quinn, armed with beam claws, cornered the dark team's fighter, Zack. From the other side of the arena, the assault was ended by Ryu, thanks to a charged attack from his club. Quinn was defeated, but not taken out as she revived away from the chaos.

Zack had little chance to recover as another onslaught of attacks began, this time from light team's Scott and his fairy orbitars, quickly diminishing the last of Zack's health.

Zack revived in front of a grind rail leading to the arena's central island and, hoping to snipe the competition away, he rode it. He was followed by Maxxy, who had seen an opportunity to attack. Zack was once again defeated and thrown off the edge of the island. He revived close to the island and greeted Maxxy as he jumped off the island, taking him out immediately with a single shot.

* * *

Elsewhere in the arena, Scott was having a hard time putting distance between himself and Ryu, who was relentlessly chasing him with his two-handed weapon. There was a reason that Ryu was named the top warrior in the Free-for-All season, and it probably involved his talent at wielding the usually uncooperative weapon class known as clubs.

Clubs were weapons that slowed one down considerably, had low range and had to be handled with two hands. Their strength came from their weight, causing high damage counts and many injuries for those who couldn't outrun them.

Scott fired blast after blast of charged energy, which were easily brushed aside from a swing of the flat club. He could feel his legs beginning to wear out and the sweat that drenched the underclothing of his armour. With his lightweight orbitars floating around him, there was no reason why he couldn't outrun the dark team's star fighter. Yet, here he was, running for his life.

Finally tired out and being forced to stop to catch his breath, Scott suffered a single defeat from a sniper attack from Cass and his Insight Staff and was taken out of the battle. The crowd erupted in cheers as they awaited the arrival of the light team's leader.

* * *

In the light team's locker room, Scott and Pit had a quick talk before Pit was forced into the game.

"You did a great job, Scott! You only got defeated once!" Pit gave the fallen fighter a thumbs up, which was returned before a light surrounded him, putting him in the battle. Ignoring the cheers from the crowd, he locked onto his first target, the dark team's user of a bowl arm, who was cornered at the edge of a crevice. Pit lifted his left hand above his head, feeling a burning power grow within him, and released it upon his victim.

As the massive fireball subsided, the fighter disappeared, taken out of the fight to be replaced by his team's leader.

* * *

From the center island, the dark team's sniper, Cass, aimed his insight staff, intending to take out the white angel while his back was turned. Before he could pull the trigger, the wind was knocked out of him by a forward dash attack, courtesy of Maxxy and his cannon.

"Don't interfere!" the young light team member shouted at his opponent. "The battle is now between the angels! Let them fight it out on their own, you lousy cheap shot!"

Cass lunged at the youngster, using his staff as a spear. "What makes you think you make the rules? I'm in it to win it!"

As the two continued to exchange blows, the dark team's angel appeared on the opposite end of the arena from his white counterpart. Blue eyes met violet-red ones for a brief moment before the white angel made a mad dash on foot to the southern grind rail station, quickly followed by the dark one. Between their destination and dodging the few boulders that littered the stage the two fired energy blasts and arrows of light at one another, none of which made contact with their intended target.

On the island, fighters Cass and Maxxy were worn ragged, struggling to catch their breath. Maxxy noticed the angels making their way to the only rail station that lead to the island and quickly understood what was going on. But with the two of them in the way, the angels would not be able to fight it out properly. With no thought against it, he tackled the older fighter, throwing the both of them off the edge and into the fissure below. The two were then warped away from the danger and spawned at different points away from the angels and the island.

* * *

Pit was the first to reach the rail station, hopping onto the solitary rail that lead to the now empty center island. Pittoo followed, understanding where this was going. On the island they continued their fight at a distance, their shots continually missing the forever moving targets. Finally, a single charged shot from each hit their targets, sending them to opposite edges of the floating island.

The fighters refocused their attention to the center of the arena, eyes glued and minds wondering what the angels' next moves would be. In a typical game the fighters would be the ones to take down the opposing team's leader, but this was proving to be much more than a 'typical game'. They stayed behind, allowing their team captains to battle it out on their own.

With nothing getting done at a distance, the two silently agreed over their bond that the fight would be finished face to face.

The black angel twisted his bow at the center, turning his favoured weapon into two blades, one which he held in a normal grip and the other in reverse.

The white angel responded, feeling the hum of energy rushing through his blade as a blue glow formed its edge.

Every spectator fell silent, increasing the tension to agonizing heights.

The few moments of silence felt like hours before the angels lunged at each other, ready to prove to one another that they were superior.

When he was close enough Pit jumped high into the air, his blade gripped with two hands and held over his head. His dark counterpart responded by holding both of his blades in front of him in a defensive measure, but it was all for naught – the battle was already over.

* * *

Before the two angels made contact a fireball fell from the sky into the center island and released an explosion that caused every fighter and the angels to be thrown against the stone walls of the arena. The impact also caused the floating island to fall back into the bottomless pit below, plugging it like a cork.

Screams and panic erupted as the fireball morphed into a fiery beast five times the size of Pit, with the body of a lion, the head of a ram, wings like an eagle, and a tail that was actually a cobra.

Pittoo staggered to get up and shook off the dizzy feeling and the pain from hitting his head against the wall. He looked around and watched as the two teams flew into action and cooperated to take down the beast, with Ryu pounding the thing from up close and Cass taking advantage of the rails to circle and hit the monster.

From the other team, Pit, Quinn and Maxxy were keeping the thing busy at a decent distance.

Pittoo, not wanting to be useless, decided that he should get in on the action as well.

The beast's back was turned towards the dark angel, but to take it out quickly he would need to be in front facing it head-on. He moved in closer, expecting to quickly get to the front by going underneath the monster.

However, he realized a second too late that the tail of the monster was more than a tail. The snake dug its fangs into Pittoo's upper left arm before he could decapitate it with a bladed edge of his bow. He struggled to remove the head from his arm as he was hit with a lethal combination of symptoms that he never thought could be experienced all at once. His health declined rapidly as his left arm went tingly and limp, which soon changed into a growing burning sensation that travelled throughout his body. The headache he received from being smashed into a wall returned with a vengeance, darkening his vision and silencing his world.

* * *

Pit suddenly felt weak, like he was unable to carry his own weight any longer. While the fighters were doing a good job in keeping the beast contained, there was no chance of them being able to beat it. The fighters were trained to fight each other, not unholy creatures like the one that had fallen from the heavens in the middle of their match. Only he and Pittoo knew how to properly fight the monsters.

_Pittoo…_

Pit then understood his weakness, and it gave him a burst of energy that he had never felt before.

_That thing got Pittoo!_

He gripped his blade with two hands, holding it up and awaiting his chance.

The fighters continued to slash and hack away at the beast. Someone had managed to take off the monster's tail, which it wasn't too happy about as it voiced its displeasure in a series of deafening roars.

A dark fighter gave Pit his chance when he fired a large steel ball at the beast's front legs, causing it to crumple in a heap on the ground, its head facing towards the light angel. Pit released a massive blue laser from his blade, which went through its head. No sound was made when the beast went out, leaving nothing but ashes and burn marks behind.

With the danger averted, Pit dropped the blade to the ground, immediately following after it as he collapsed as well.

_Dammit, Pittoo! You're stronger, you're better than that._

He heard noises, he saw shapes coming towards him as he tried to fight off the fog that was consuming his mind, but soon succumbed.

_No you, no me._


	2. The Dreamscape

_Author Time! First off, I'd like to say, wow. Ex Solem|Ex Umbra, even though incomplete and only up for two weeks, has become my most visited story. It has twice the views of my other three Jet Set Radio fics… Kid Icarus is definitely making a comeback._

_Now, time for the author to respond to the reviews!_

_** Symphonic Sweet (guest):**_Cool. Nicely written, and an evil cliffhanger... looks good to me. D I'm looking forward to reading more!

_In case you didn't know from reading my other works, I am FAMOUS for evil cliffhangers. You want more? More is coming!_

_** Guest (guest):**_You gotta continue!

_I am continuing!_

_** The Cute Pikachu (guest):**_Hi.  
Nice one-shot story to describe the connection between Dark Pit and Pit.  
But there are two things I've been wondering: First of all, what does Ex Solem Ex Umbra mean and second of all, what is the name of the monster described in the story? Actually, the monster reminds me of the Chimera.  
Anyway, good story. I liked it.  
Bye!

_NOT A ONESHOT. Did you not notice the title of the chapter, in bold underlined font? If I could modify font sizes, it would have been in at least size 20 font. This will be MULTIPLE CHAPTERS (25, maybe? I've gotta plan this out better…).  
__The First Question: The title of this story, Ex Solem|Ex Umbra, is latin for "From Light|From Dark", tying into the theme of the true origins of Pit and Pittoo. All is not as it seems with those two…  
__The Second Question: The monster from the first chapter has yet to have a name, but it was heavily inspired by the Chimera (lion, ram/goat and snake) from Greek Mythology, mixed with a Griffin (lion and eagle).  
__Glad you liked it, but come back for the rest of it!_

_Now, the question of the day: **Would you visit and participate in an 'Ask the Cast' tumblr/deviantART account?**_

**Ex Solem|Ex Umbra**

_**A Kid Icarus Fan Fiction by JoFaythe/xFlavourChan**_

**Chapter 2: The Dreamscape**

The first thing that greeted Pittoo when he opened his eyes was blue, lots of blue. Blinking his eyes a half dozen times cleared up the sky above him, revealing fluffy white clouds lazily floating overhead. A gentle wind rustled the small field he laid in and the surrounding trees, and blew messy black bangs into his eyes.

From not too far away he began to hear noises, which turned into voices, and finally, children's laughter. He forced himself to sit up, ignoring the dull throbbing in his upper left arm as he turned his head towards the noises.

"And this is my FAVOURITE place, EVER!" exclaimed the first child to appear from the tree line. She looked to be no older than five years of age, with shoulder-length white-blond hair coated with dirt, sticks, and leaves, dark tanned skin, and light gray eyes. Her outfit was simply an oversized t-shirt that was once white, but now coated with grass stains and dirt.

Two older boys followed behind her, both identical in appearance, outfits, and age. They had the same light brown hair, neatly combed in the back with messy bangs just above their bright blue eyes. Their outfits consisted of gray long-sleeved shirts, brown shorts held up by a leather belt, and leather sandals.

The girl danced around the field, not noticing the angel sitting on the grass. It was like Pittoo didn't even exist.

_Am I dead..?_

At that moment, he noticed the pain in his arm and numbness in his hand. Looking down at the affected arm he noticed two puncture marks near his shoulder.

_What the… where did that come from..?_

He thought for a moment, trying to recall what happened to him before waking up in the field.

Suddenly, the landscape changed. The grass was replaced by rocky terrain, the trees became stone walls, and the sky became dark and cloudy. The three children disappeared and were replaced by four fighters – the two in front of him donned light armour and the other two behind them were dark. He had little time to react as the fighters charged at one another with him in the middle. He quickly got to his feet and jumped high… very high… too high.

He was now floating above the center island, watching himself and his light counterpart, Pit, battling it out.

_The Light vs. Dark match! I remember now... Me and Pit were fighting when..._

His thoughts were cut off as a giant fireball fell from the sky, landing between the two fighting angels below. The impact caused the floating island to fall back into the crevice it came from and blew everyone in the arena against the stone walls. Time seemed to slow down as he watched himself fly head-first into the stone wall, then crumple on the rocky ground.

"Wow, how did that not kill you?"

Pittoo turned his head to his left and saw his lighter self. Pit was sitting cross-legged on the invisible floor above the chaos below, watching the darker one below struggle to stand.

"Pit?! What are you doing here?"

The lighter one looked upwards, a bit shocked, but relatively unsurprised. "Oh, you finally noticed me. This is what, the hundredth dream we shared?"

Pittoo wasn't sure of what shocked him more: Pit's bland expression or the fact that the two of them existing in the same dream was not a new occurrence.

"Yup, this happens a lot," Pit began, standing up and smoothing out his tunic, "We started sharing dreams shortly after the Chaos Ring incident, although you never really noticed me, or you never cared."

The two stood in silence for a moment, giving Pittoo a moment to process the newfound information. He shook his head and sighed. "So... We're sharing a dream right now?"

"Not just any dream..." Pit rested his chin on his hand and scratched his cheek. "I think it's called a 'remembrance'? Anyways, it shows you what you can't remember."

_Well, that's self-explanatory._

"Yup, pretty much."

Pittoo raised an eyebrow. "Did you just read my mind?"

"Maybe."

"..." Pittoo decided to shrug off that weird moment and focus on something that was bugging him to no end. "You seem... A little off..."

"Oh, yeah. Just a second..."

The lighter one took in a deep breath, rolling back his shoulders and puffing out his chest. With his head facing upwards he shouted to the heavens above.

"I HATE YOU, LIFE!"

The unusual behaviour of his lighter self caught the dark one completely off guard, knocking him to the ground. "Wha- Where did THAT come from?"

Pit smiled and let out a small laugh, nervously scratching the back of his neck. "Oh, just from the deepest pit of my heart that houses all those negative emotions I'm not supposed to have."

Pittoo could not find the right words to express the confusion in his mind.

"What? I have a reputation to protect." He sighed and let a few moments pass before continuing. "That's a secret blessing of these remembrances. I can remember and vent in peace without anyone else watching."

"What does that make me?" There was a hint of hostility in the black angel's rising tone. "Nothing? Nobody?"

"Nah, I think Maxxy described it best. You're like a brother to me. Truth be told, I wouldn't mind sharing my inner self with you. BUT you gotta keep this a secret between us, deal?"

_A... brother? That's a weird way to put it._

Pittoo's thoughts drifted back almost four years, to the day he was... Created? Born? While he was originally supposed to be the Underworld's dark pawn, he had managed to escape that fate and become an ally to the one he was supposed to destroy.

_It kind of makes sense when you think about it: we're the same, but there's enough difference between us that we are considered two different people._

His thoughts drifted towards more recent events, the six months he had been working for Viridi. Being unable to fly on his own, the dark angel had been forced to join the Forces of Nature as repayment to the young goddess who had saved him from falling into who-knows-what after losing Pandora's powers.

_Viridi's even given me a new identity... Kind of._

"Hey, do we have a deal or not?"

Pittoo quickly shook off the continuous stream of memories flowing through his mind. "Yeah, I guess we do."

"Good..." Pit looked at the scene below and pointed towards the battle below that Pittoo had nearly forgotten about. "Hey, this is the moment it got you!"

Below, the dream Pittoo had gotten himself up and was at the beast's backside. The next moment, he was dashing towards the beast, attempting to get under it. The tail of the beast quickly reacted and latched onto his upper left arm before it was beheaded by the sharp edge of Pittoo's bow.

Pittoo winced as he remembered the pain he experienced before blacking out; the numbness, the burning, the migraine. He rubbed his affected arm, trying to force circulation through it as the tingling sensation of numbness returned to it.

"Not one of your brighter ideas, huh?" Pit forced out a small laugh as he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

Pittoo didn't have much of an explanation for Pit, as he couldn't quite remember what he was thinking, if he was thinking anything at all at that moment. 'Get in front' was the only thing going through his head when he thought hard enough about it.

The scenery changed once again, morphing into the dark team's locker room. Dream Pittoo remained lying on the ground, while the rest of the dream characters disappeared and were replaced by the third dark team player, and a young female angel kneeling over the dark angel's injured arm.

The angel... Pittoo thought back to the first part of his remembrance, the little girl in the field. The girls shared the same white-blond hair and gray eyes. However, the angel had much fairer skin and looked closer in age to a human ten-year-old. Her hair was straightened past her shoulder blades with long bangs barely kept out of her face by a simple gold clip, and wore a rather simple white sleeveless dress with a deep pink sash around her upper midsection.

The scene played out, with the angel silently calling out to the dark team member. The player's eyes widened before he ran towards the locker room's cleansing pool. While the player was away, the angel held her hands in front of her, summoned a small blue vial, and emptied the contents onto the bite marks in the dark angel's arm. The blue liquid softly glowed for a short while before it was absorbed by the wound.

The dark player returned soon, holding a wet cloth. The angel took it and placed it on the dark angel's forehead. Upon closer inspection, Pittoo noticed how red his face was and the sweat pouring from his body. He immediately thought back to the burning sensation he experienced after being bitten by the beast's tale.

"Huh, no sound," Pit mumbled under his breath. "That's weird…"

Without much thought, Pittoo floated downward to the actual ground and kneeled on the other side of his dream body. He began to hear some of what was going on, but it was hard to make out what. He closed his eyes and focused, making the words much clearer.

"Chimera poison." The voice was that of any young girl, belonging to the angel. "I've dealt with one other case, but not nearly this severe. Chimera tails usually bite and release, but for some reason this one latched on."

"Wait, are you trying to say he could die from this?" Mid-ranged and male, yet had a bit of a squeak to it; the unmistakable voice of his team-mate Zack.

"If he was left for any longer, he would have. He'll be fine; it'll just take while to recover…"

"There you are!" A third voice? Deep and masculine, it was a voice that belonged to an older male. "We need you over in the next room. We can't figure out what's wrong with Pit!"

The angel spoke again in a hushed tone, "Captain Pit is fine. They'll both be okay."

"What are you talking about?" There was a long pause. "Oh my goddess… It works in reverse too?"

_Works in reverse…_

"So, what's going on?" Pit's interruption forced Pittoo out of his dream within a dream. "Getting anything out of this one?"

"Everyone was so worried about you, it didn't even occur to them that it might have been me." Pittoo muttered to himself, hoping his lighter self wouldn't hear what he had said.

"Huh? Care to repeat that a little louder please?"

"It's nothing."

"Okay then. Touchy subject, I'll stay outta it."

Pittoo turned around to face Pit, who was now standing over him on the ground floor. He opened his mouth to question his lighter half but instead sighed as the dreamscape faded into nothingness.

"Aw, it's over," Pit's whimper slightly echoed in the emptiness as he stretched his arms in front of him, noticing that they were now translucent. "Hm, I'm waking up. I'll see you back in the real world soon, okay?"

Pittoo had just forced himself up when he noticed Pit's fading body. Although initially concerned, Pit's words rung true in his head.

"Yeah, I have the feeling that monster's just the beginning."

"The beginning of a new adventure!" The white one shot a fist in the air, and a genuine smile gleamed on his face before the black one was left alone in the nothingness of the dreamscape.


	3. The Power of Flight

_Author Time! Oh man, oh man. School is starting soon, work is crazy, blah blah blah. Please forgive any mistakes as this was not beta'd this time. _

_No questions to answer this time, and all comments were already addressed (you know who you are). Onto the story~!_

**Ex Solem|Ex Umbra**

_**A Kid Icarus Fan Fiction by JoFaythe/xFlavourChan**_

**Chapter 3: The Power of Flight**

Skyworld, the peaceful floating island paradise that the Goddess of Light, angels, and centurions alike call home. For years the place had become desolate and lonely due to what many only knew as "Those Three Years", but had quickly returned to its lively self after Hades' defeat.

Pit took in a deep breath, leaning against the windowsill while watching blue skies, a few clouds, and patrolling centurions flying overhead. From his second floor bedroom window, he could see the main plaza and a large group of angels gathering like always since Skyland's "revival". It brought him a sort of peace to see this normalcy after all the chaos he had gone through, with battling a revived Medusa, Hades and his Underworld Army, Viridi and the Forces of Nature, the Aurum, the Chaos Kin... The list went on and on.

"Pit!" The voice of his reigning Goddess voice boomed in his head, "I'm sorry to disrupt, but I need you here right away!"

"Lady Palutena!" He immediately addressed her, "What's wrong?"

"I'll explain to you on the way! Hurry!"

"Right away!" He was immediately upright and headed towards the door, when the rumble of his stomach floored him and reminded him that he had yet to have anything to eat that day.

* * *

Pittoo wandered the hallways of the Goddess of Nature's temple, his footsteps quietly echoing in the mossy stone corridor while he let his thoughts wander. He had been awake for a few days, but the young Goddess had refused to let him do anything until she was sure that he was alright. The effects of the poison were gone, but he could feel the throbbing of where he hit his head pound against the tight bandages. Still, this was not enough to keep him down and resting.

Reigning in the lost thoughts, he noticed a familiar doorway that led to a familiar hall where a certain Goddess loved to stay. The large double doors were opened just enough for the voices behind it to escape. Feeling bored and nosy, Pittoo listened in on Viridi's conversation, something about a burning town.

"Wait, you're asking me to look after the humans?" Phosphora, Viridi's commander, was also there and part of the conversation, "That's really out of character for you, Miss Viridi..."

"You dummy, I don't care about the town! That's Palutena's job." Viridi sounded ready to drop another Reset Bomb - not that she had any left. "I care about the forest NEXT to the town! That thing has survived the humans, I'm not gonna let it burn down because of that MONSTER!"

_Monster?_ This was interesting. Pittoo entered the grand hall, revealing himself to the two divine beings. "What's going on?"

"Oh, look who's finally up. Morning sleepyhead~" Phosphora was already facing the dark angel and winked at him.

Viridi immediately spun around on her heel, surprise and anger showing on every part of her body. "What are you doing out of bed? I thought I put you on mandatory bed rest!"

"Nothing keeps me down long," Pittoo declared flatly, "send me instead."

"No way!" Viridi pointed at the door that he had entered through. "Back to bed, angel!"

He continued to hold his ground, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Look, just make it easy on yourself, because I'm going whether you allow it or not."

"You stubborn little..!" The young Goddess' face turned beet red while she tried ripping her long blond hair out. "Fine, go get yourself finished! When I revive you, I'll be the one laughing and saying 'I told you so!'"

"Yeah, whatever," he sighed as he ran towards the large doorway at the other side of the hall, "We're wasting time."

"No, YOU'RE the one wasting time." she rebuked, opening the gate near the intended destination, "I could've had Phosphora there already but NO, you just HAD to go instead."

Before jumping out the gate a soft green light hovered in front of his face.

"Last chance to back down, angel."

With only a second of hesitation, he grabbed the light which quickly morphed into his signature weapon, the silver bow.

"Guess your mind is made up," Viridi's voiced echoed within the hall and his head as the familiar sensation of the Power of Flight engulfed his wings and he took off towards the burning town.

* * *

After a pit stop at Palutena's kitchen for a grab-whatever and go-on-a-mission breakfast, Pit was in the air heading towards wherever he was needed, directed by the Goddess of Light and her "gift of flight". Hanging off his belt was his first blade, and in his left arm was a basket of bread and an assortment of fruit.

"Lady Palutena, what's going on?" he asked between bites into an apple.

"Monsters are invading a town and burning it to the ground," his Goddess answered, her voice echoing in his head, "We have to help them."

_Monsters?_ "Like the Underworld Army?"

"No, actual monsters. Fiery beasts like that Chimera that attacked the Light vs. Dark match, except much smaller. They're not associated with the Forces of Nature either..." She hummed. "I wonder if HE'S the one behind this..."

Pit nearly choked on a croissant, and forced himself to swallow the whole thing that he shoved in his mouth, "Do you know who's behind this?"

"Not for certain, but I have an idea..." Palutena cut out for a minute, leaving Pit alone in the empty skies with his makeshift breakfast.

The moment was cut short when Pit suddenly accelerated, causing him to lose the remaining fruit and a few loaves in his surprise.

"Hold on," the Goddess returned, "There's been a change in plans. Viridi is sending Pittoo in to help with the situation."

"Viridi helping the humans? That's odd."

"That's not the odd part. The town is next to a forest that is home to the Thousand Year Tree." The Goddess paused to collect her thoughts. "My concern is for Pittoo: he was bitten by the Chimera, and the poison was so intense it caused BOTH of you to fall into a coma. Yes, he has recovered, but enough to fight? I don't think so."

"Pittoo's tough, I'm sure he'll be fine," the light angel assured his Goddess. "Besides, if he does get in trouble, I still owe him for saving my butt too many times."

* * *

The two minutes he was in the air were uneventful, with no enemies to take down and no storms to fly through. Even Viridi wasn't giving him an earful.

"Approaching rendezvous point!" the Goddess chimed out of nowhere.

_Rendezvous..?_

"Hey, Pittoo!" Looking up he saw a familiar and friendly sight coming through the clouds, his treasured first blade hanging off his belt and holding onto an armful of loaves.

"... What's with all the bread?" the young goddess questioned the light angel, with no sarcasm in her voice for once.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Pit declared, "No way I'm skipping out!"

"That reminds me," this time she questioned the dark angel, "Pittoo, have you eaten ANYthing in the past week?"

The growl from his stomach answered for him. "Not much..." was his sheepish answer.

"Ugh!" Pittoo could hear the nature Goddess ripping her hair out in frustration. "This is just one of the reasons I was holding you back!"

The Goddess continued to rant and rave, but the two angels didn't pay attention. Pit had positioned himself over Pittoo and coordinated his wing strokes with his darker self. Pit offered one of his remaining loaves to the one he now considered a brother, who didn't hesitate to accept and chow down.

"... You've barely recovered from the last attack, and guess who we're facing off against again!" Viridi finished, catching the attention of both angels.

"That thing again?" Pit yelled out in frustration, "I took it out last time!"

"That's the one thing about this Chimera: you can extinguish it, but it never truly dies. That's the main reason Ares sends it in. ALL. THE. TIME." Viridi filled in.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that this Ares guy is behind everything."

"One point for the dweeb."

Palutena finally intervened, "Yes, Ares, the God of War, is most likely behind these attacks."

"Unless someone else has recreated his favourite pet." Viridi butted in and hummed. "Although, the patchwork job with the chicken wings makes it pretty obvious that this is the original."

"Why's that?" Pittoo questioned, finally finished with his 'breakfast'.

"Ares..." Viridi took a second to figure out the best way to explain, "Isn't exactly with the times. Notice the lack of air enemies?"

"I think you meant to say the non-existent air enemies."

"Picky, but my point still stands."

"Anyways," the Light Goddess once again spoke up, "Viridi, why did you decide to send Pittoo instead of Phosphora?"

"Trust me; I had every intention to send her instead. However," Viridi's tone started to rise again, "the little sneak had OTHER plans. He was ready to jump out of my gate and find his own way to fly!"

Palutena let out a small laugh, "Well, we all know how that turned out last time."

"Speaking of flying, CHIMERA INCOMING!"

The two angels just avoided getting run over by a flaming fireball from below. Once again, the thing morphed into a beast with the body of a lion, the head of a ram, eagle wings, but was short a tail. The Chimera flapped its mighty wings furiously, but was barely keeping in the air.

"It looks like it's struggling to keep airborne!" Pit pointed out.

"Sounds like someone else we know," Viridi rebuked to the dismay of both Pit and Pittoo.

"So, if we clip its wings, that'll take it out," Pittoo concluded.

"That's not a bad idea," Palutena sounded impressed.

"It's a plan then," Pit turned to Pittoo, "I'll take the left. Stay away from its backside, okay?"

Pittoo nodded, and both got into position.

"The Power of Flight is running out. You've got less than two minutes to take it out and land," Palutena told them.

"Not a problem!" the two responded in unison, gripping their weapons and firing charged shots at the beast's wings.

Both shots connected with their intended target, causing the Chimera to drop a few feet before regaining its 'footing'. The beast was not happy as it retaliated with a roar and breath of fire. Pit managed to get out if the way, but Pittoo wasn't quite fast enough as his left wingtip started smouldering.

"Darn it, Pittoo!" the Nature Goddess' anger and worry rang loud and clear, "Watch out!"

"Yeah, I know!" Pittoo yelled back, "I don't need you to tell me everything!"

"Hey you two," Palutena stepped in quickly to defuse the situation, "It's time to fight the Chimera. Time's running out!"

There was a defeated sigh from Viridi and Pittoo as they refocused their attention back onto the Chimera. Thirty seconds had passed by, meaning that the flying monstrosity needed to be taken out within the next few shots. It proved difficult as the beast started to use its head to block the angel's fire - literally.

"Why don't we attack it from the sides?" Pit questioned the Goddesses controlling their flight path.

Pittoo scoffed, "Yeah, it could work if you WANT to dodge missed shots and ugly's attacks. Personally, I don't wanna be finished off by your pathetic aim."

"My aim is not pathetic!" Pit countered, showing off his skills by landing a charged shot on the Chimera's right wing.

"Not bad, but I can do better!" And with that, Pittoo also landed a perfectly aimed hit on the Chimera's left wing.

The beast once again plummeted, much farther than the first time, before straightening itself out. The beast was furious, rocketing towards the angels and trying to knock them out of the sky. The angels had none of it, effortlessly moving out of its path.

"One more minute! Hurry up you two!" Viridi was nearing panic.

The monster was now desperate, clumsily clawing at the angels to keep them away from its weakened wings.

"One good shot, that's all we need..." Pit muttered, looking for a chance to take it out again. Between this fight and the last the Chimera had gotten stronger or an armour upgrade, making it impervious to damage anywhere else but its wings. But that didn't mean hitting it in the face didn't make it angry...

Pittoo watched as his lighter self sent a barrage of energy bullets at the monster's face, causing it to focus all of its attention on the white angel. He quickly picked up on Pit's idea and took his chance, opening fire on its wings. It didn't take long before the wings disintegrated from the battle damage and the Chimera plummeted earthward, with twenty seconds to spare.

"Extinguished!" Pit cried out in victory, pumping his fist towards the heavens.

Pittoo could only sigh at the lighter one's actions. "We don't need a victory cry every time, you know."

"The monsters are clearing out," Palutena informed the two boys, "the town is no longer in danger."

"The power of flight is almost out anyways." Viridi reminded them as a white-blue glow enveloped the two. "Getting you outta there."


End file.
